1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for reinforcing a thermoplastic body composed of an organic thermoplastic polymer which comprises extruding a strip of hot organic thermoplastic polymer, passing said strip of hot organic thermoplastic polymer and a strip of superimposed fabric onto a surface, applying pressure to said superimposed strips sufficiently to at least partially embed said fabric into said organic thermoplastic polymer and thereafter cooling the resulting product to obtain a permanent mechanical bond between said fabric and said organic thermoplastic polymer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known that thermoplastic bodies composed of one or more organic thermoplastic polymers lack structural strength and/or rigidity. While in some cases such deficiencies are not detrimental, in many cases, however, such thermoplastic bodies must be subjected to further processing to increase their strength and/or rigidity before they can be effectively utilized. For example, Shaw in U.S. Pat. No. 4,104,095, discloses a process for reinforcing a tubular article composed of an organic thermoplastic polymer with a fabric which comprises helically wrapping a fabric around the outer surface of a preformed tubular article, applying heat to the wrapped tubular article sufficient to simultaneously melt the exterior surface of the tubular article and thermally expand the tubular article outwardly into the openings in the fabric and then cooling the wrapped tubular article to obtain a permanent mechanical bond between the fabric and the tubular article.